#SUNDANCE: “WILD INDIAN”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Years after covering-up a murder as teenagers, Makwa (Michael Greyeyes) and Ted-O (Chaske Spencer) must face the truth of what they did and who they’ve become.

Wild Indian has a storyline that has been done before, however, Writer-Director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. makes it his own. Through Makwa, Corbine Jr. studies the trauma of familial abuse as a child, while showing the lasting effects into adulthood. Refreshingly, Corbine Jr. doesn’t create characters who are good or evil, they exist in between. Particularly Makwa who has experienced trauma and has committed acts of violence himself.

Greyeyes is commanding as Makwa and helps blurs the lines between the good and bad in his character. He’s at his best when his past threatens to rip away the established life he’s created for himself as an adult. This is where Corbine Jr’s script is also the strongest, seeing the lengths one will go to keep their past hidden and their idealized life intact. Additionally, Spencer gives a compelling performance as the accomplice friend who’s consumed with guilt.

Wild Indian screens at Sundance:

Live Premiere: January 30 at 3 PM (EST)

On-Demand (available for 24 hours): February 1 at 10 AM (EST)